When I picked up Sere Prince Halverson’s The Underside of Joy, I immediately felt connected with Ella, the MC whose world is about to be turned upside down. See, things aren’t perfect in her marriage, yet, this smart woman ignores some of the telltale signs of trouble signaling her world is about to unravel.
“We’ll talk about it tomorrow…”
But what happens when tomorrow never comes for one of the parties in that discussion? Ella’s husband, Joe, dies in a freak accident, leaving her to raise her two stepchildren. Who shows up at the funeral? Paige, Joe’s ex-wife, who abandoned her family a few short years earlier. Paige insinuates herself back into her children’s lives, threatening to take custody of Annie and Zach, leaving Ella with an empty nest and heart.
As Ella discovers a mountain of debt and a handful of half-truths, she questions her marriage and the motives of the man she loved. Can she save the family business? Will she lose the children she loves as her own? Will Ella forgive her husband?
As I began reading, I could not believe many of the parallels between the book and my life. I, too, lost my husband when he died of complications from a stroke. We, too, had a floundering business. We amassed nearly $250,000 in business and personal debt. And we were a blended family, each bringing three children to the marriage. His kids lived with his ex-wife; mine, with us.
I understand what it’s like to be a mother and a stepmother, trying to find balance between being the parent figure and the other mother. It’s a fine line, a tightrope that stretches until you teeter off, maybe never finding your way back.
While I appreciate Halverson’s resolution, I’m not sure real life works that way. Sure, in my life, the animosity from the insecure ex was present, but she never would have admitted her failings, nor would she have let me raise her – and his - children.
I’m not sure I would have wanted to.
Beautifully written, with fantastic descriptions of setting. Imagine looking at a photograph and stepping into it. You can, when reading this.
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I received a copy of this book, as well as payment, for participating in this review as part of BHBC.
Tags: BHBC, BlogHer book club, book review, LuAnn Schindler, Sere Prince Halverson, The Underside of Joy
